Friday, November 1, 2013

Pandora Radio network presented an intimate 75-minute spectacle with Celine Dion at the Edison Ballroom (the former Supper Club) in New York City October 29. I had the great fortune of gaining

admittance via Tommy Page, the former publisher of Billboard magazine and a longtime pal.

Natch, I wept quietly through the entire set, as Celine performed three songs from upcoming "Loved Me Back To Life," along with such classics as "Where Does My Heart Beat Now," "All By Myself," The Reason," "River Deep Mountain High," "Love Can Move Mountains" and a power medley of "It's All Coming Back To Me Now" and "The Power of Love." She, of course, ended the set with "My Heart Will Go On."

It's amazing to me that ever since Celine launched her Vegas show 2-1/2 years ago that—out of nowhere—the mainstream press has suddenly embraced her talent. Reviews for the Edison show, as well as early kudos for new album "Loved Me Back To Life" have been staggeringly positive.

So, uh, where the hell were you guys 15 years ago? If ever I
accomplished one thing in my 14 years at Billboard, it was championing Celine, recognizing that such nonsense as "steely precision, no passion," which was repeated time and again, was pure BULLSHIT.

I'm so proud that among real Celine followers, I continue to be known as "the guy that got it." It's gratifying to see that today's "journalists" are showering Celine with praise, but honest to god, SHE hasn't changed... It's only recognition that with so much tepid celebrity-fueled music pervading the charts (hello Nicki Minaj!), a real artist like Celine is at last garnering the props she always deserved. Amen!